Istanbul · Turkey
Cheers Midtown Hostel
Bed bug reports
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Confirmed Hostelworld
Pretty sure I got bedbugs from this hostel. Everything was dirty and smelled pretty bad, I have been itching ever since I left and saw black specs on the sheets (possible bed-bug poop. Nobody came to service the room while I was there. The guys who run it are nice but don’t care to keep up the hostel well. Not worth the grime & trouble — i’ve never experienced bites like this in my life.
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Confirmed Google Maps
I am giving two stars cuz it has air conditioning and the view from the window was super cute. But everything else was not... really great. I spotted couple of BEDBUGS (as of 28 July 2025). I thought my bed frame will fall apart and mattress almost felt like it lost its springs. The bathroom smelled sewage. Bedsheets had some marks (it looked like old blood stain to me) and it didn't really felt clean. It doesn't have common area, so that's also something that you might want to note as a solo traveler who is looking for a social hostel. I've been to many other hostels, and I'm sorry, I think this was the most unpleasant one so far. But at the same time, the place was very affordable, so up to you to decide.
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Confirmed Google Maps
Unfortunately we found bed bugs in our room after two days of sleeping at this hostel. They wanted to move us to another room of which they knew there were also bedbugs... we had to leave the hostel in the middle of the night.
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Confirmed Google Maps
There are bedbugs. We found out late at night so we wanted to go somewhere else, but the staff did nothing to help us. They seemed to know there were bedbugs but let us stay there nonetheless.
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Possible Hostelworld
Het hele hostel zat vol met bedwantsen. Wij verbleven er met 19 man en hebben alle matrassen gecontroleerd en op de meerderheid zaten bedwantsen waarvan sommige leefden. Het personeel hielp ons wel maar stond ondertussen ook te blowen. De dag daarna een vervelende discussie met de eigenaar gehad die ons de schuld gaf en ons voor twee nachten liet betalen en voor de overige twee wel ons geld terug gekregen.
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Vibe Analysis
Cheers Midtown Hostel sits in a lively Istanbul neighborhood near restaurants, shops, bars, Istiklal Street, Galata, public transport, and the old city across the water. It works best as a central, budget-leaning base for travelers who want the city close and do not need polished facilities. The strongest side is the social energy. Staff can be warm, hands-on with local tips, and good at pulling the room together, with names like Ibo, Hicham, and Ibrahim standing out. Events, pub crawls with other hostels, homemade dinner moments, and casual guitar-and-bongo jam sessions give the place a loose hangout feel when the timing is right. The creative streak is real: there is a jewelry workshop, music, drawing, bright walls, and a resident cat named Mimi. That gives Midtown more personality than a plain sleep pod, especially for travelers who like small, improvised social spaces over a slick hotel setup. The tradeoff is that the building can feel worn, cramped, and inconsistent. Beds, lockers, bathrooms, room upkeep, heat, AC, Wi-Fi, and cleaning range from fine to rough, and the main shared area is small.
Signals to check
- Street noise can be a problem, especially in rooms near the road or on lively nights.
- Bathrooms are limited, often one per floor, and can smell bad or need better cleaning.
- The kitchen exists but may be small, limited, or not useful for real cooking.
- Photos may look better than the current condition of the property.
- There are serious negative accounts around bedbugs, overbooking, card charges, late check-in access, discrimination, and poor staff handling. Treat this as a higher-risk budget pick, not a sure thing.